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Essential volunteers 'could go on strike'
By Paul Jump, Third Sector, 26 November 2008
A general strike of volunteers might be the best way to demonstrate to organisations and funders how essential they are, according to an international expert in volunteering.
Linda Graff told volunteering charity CSV's volunteer management conference this month that volunteers in both the UK and her own country, Canada, remained "sorely undervalued".
"On the principle that we often do not recognise or value what we have until it is taken away from us, perhaps a volunteer strike would very well demonstrate just how indispensable volunteers have become to our way of life," said Graff.
She added that her suggestion was "tongue-in-cheek".
Graff said volunteering was under threat because of increasing bureaucracy and the fact that younger volunteers tended to want short-term, tailored opportunities.
"Mobilising, engaging and coordinating the efforts of these new volunteers is more complex and time-consuming than ever," she said.
She said it was also likely that the economic crisis would prompt funders to cut spending on volunteer management and promotion.
Mike Locke, director of public affairs at Volunteering England, said a volunteering strike was not realistic. "But as a dramatic piece of rhetoric, it is a good way of drawing attention to the issue," he said. "It can be frustrating getting over to people the power and extent of volunteering."
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Barrie Duke, 4 December 2008, 19:46
'Volunteering' has always under-pinned our communities especially in times of crisis. It's today's society, obsessed with ever increasing accountability and legislation, and bloated with charities for very sort of need that is suffering.As a charity that works with IT at every possible opportunity we have drastically reduced our administration costs and now concentrate on creating varying term volunteering opportunities that utilise peoples skills and and do not depend on the begging bowl funding applications that seem to cost more than the awards at times.
I just hope that the current economic crisis will restore a bit of reality to this sector which has been dominated by paid staff for so long.
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